


Captured Moments

by Meriyda (Eyrine)



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, One-Sided Attraction, Photography, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:34:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23397826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eyrine/pseuds/Meriyda
Summary: Her blue eyes gazed lovingly at the precious photograph. No one else was allowed to even catch a glimpse of its beauty. It was for her eyes only.
Relationships: Alex/Haley (Stardew Valley)
Kudos: 7





	Captured Moments

Haley looked at the photograph in her hand. She had taken it last summer when she was at the beach to take pictures of the beautiful view. Many thought of her as a city girl who cared little about nature, but Haley was more than a shopaholic with a pretty face. Nature had always enchanted her with its beauty, and she absolutely loved beautiful things.

But capturing that beauty on camera was harder than it looked. No matter how hard she tried, she always got a feeling that something was missing. The praise she got from other people did not satisfy her either. Her pictures were never as lovely and magical as seeing the real thing right before your eyes.

The picture she held was no exception. However, there was definitely something special about it. She had made several pictures at the beach already, but this was the only one that had a person on it. More specifically, her best friend and longtime crush: Alex. He was standing in the glittering sand, staring at the clear water of the ocean. His muscular arms were exposed to the sun as he was wearing a t-shirt, and his tanned skin appeared unmarred.

A flush of pink dusted Haley's cheeks. She did not realize he was on there until after she had developed the photo, but she did not mind it. Alex was a good-looking guy to say the least, so if anything, his beauty only added to it. It was the only picture she had of him, too.

She sighed. To think that Alex looked even better in real life-it was hard to believe, but it was true. In the years she had lived in Pelican town, she had been granted the opportunity to admire him from a distance and up close. Confident as she appeared to be, she had never dared to tell him how she really felt. On more than one occasion they had given each other compliments about their appearances, but Haley doubted that Alex's words had a deeper meaning to them. He did not look like the type to beat around the bush.

Then again, neither did she. Her old friends used to call her "bold and beautiful" for a reason.

Clutching the photograph a little tighter, she smiled faintly. Maybe she should tell Alex. Surely having a pretty girl like herself chasing after him would give him a big ego boost. He would probably be happy about it. What if he rejected her though? What if he had set his sights on that farmer that moved to Pelican town four months ago?

Her smile faltered at the thought. No, that was not going to happen. If she had to risk facing the humiliation of being rejected, she would rather not tell Alex anything at all. She would remain his secret admirer. That way, neither of them would get hurt.

As she ran her thumb over the photograph affectionately, the door to her bedroom suddenly opened. Haley's eyes widened in panic, staring at the intruder while she tried to blindly hide the picture in her drawer. A slang of curse words flew through her head when she saw the farmer standing in the doorway, but she managed to compose herself at least a little before she spoke.

"Has no one ever taught you to knock first?!" she snapped, still obviously irritated.

"Oh right, sorry!"

The farmer smiled sheepishly. For some reason, Haley did not believe it was a sincere apology. She did not like this carefree, overly friendly woman, with her lack of makeup and her terrible fashion sense. Frankly, she wondered why she was even letting that weirdo into her bedroom. It was not like they were _friends_.

"Whatever. Why are you here?"

"I just stopped by to say hello. Say, what's that picture you were looking at just now?"

Haley's face grew red again. "That... that's none of your business!"

Much to her surprise, the farmer did not pry any further, but merely nodded.

"You're right. I'm sorry for asking."

From the guilty expression in the woman's eyes, Haley could tell she really meant it this time, and that angered her even more. Ever since the first time they spoke, the farmer had been messing around with her emotions. That woman was the embodiment of everything she could not stand and yet she could not bring herself to hate her. The only thing she hated was how the farmer made her look like a snobby brat.

Another sigh fell from her pink lips.

"No, it's... I overreacted," Haley admitted, averting her gaze. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"It's fine. What I did wasn't right either. Let's just pretend that none of this ever happened and try to get along, okay? I promise I won't ask you about that picture ever again."

"...Okay."

The smile returned to the farmer's face. "Great! Well, I've got some more chores to do, so I gotta go. See you around!"

"Bye," Haley uttered plainly in response. While she sounded calm, her heart was still beating rapidly. She watched the farmer wave before closing the door, giving her some privacy.

The sound of footsteps followed. Once it had died down, Haley breathed a sigh of relief. 

_That was too close._

As her heartbeat finally returned to normal, she spun around and opened the drawer. Her blue eyes gazed lovingly at the precious photograph. No one else was allowed to even catch a glimpse of its beauty. It was for her eyes only.


End file.
